ѕнαттєяєd
by Impeccably Bizarre
Summary: Ludwig is a young boy growing up in West Germany with his older brother. Life is simple yet enjoyable in their tiny house on the peaceful German countryside. Little does Ludwig know that his life will soon be shattered and twisted into something he could not have foreseen. GerIta, AusHun, and one-sided PruHun. Human AU. WARNING: grief/angst. Rated T because of language and death.
1. Prologue- 1944

_**Prologue- 1944**_

Ludwig couldn't see the sky. He couldn't see the ground in front of him. He could only feel the pain and pure torture writhing through his body. The lice in his hair itched horribly under his helmet and his feet were blistered and bloody from walking. He had a machete wound on his thigh, which was infected and oozing pus. The world was nothing; pain was everything.

"Ludwig!" a voice knocked him back into reality. A man with stark red hair was crouched over him. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead. Ludwig remembered that bandage since he was the one who had put it there. "Ludwig, we have to keep moving!" It was Feliciano, Ludwig's Italian friend. He lead the Italians that were allied with Ludwig's troops, so the two had become joint leaders.

Ludwig forced himself to his feet. "Sorry." He said.

Feliciano gave him a half-hearted smile. He had been such a cheerful and happy young man before the war, but seeing his brother captured and country brutally attacked had changed him. The young Italian had become war-hardened and sad. "We have to keep going," he said. "The Canadian troops have captured the German camps to the west. They're advancing quickly."

Ludwig felt his eyes tear up in spite of himself. "Ve have to go back, zhen." He said.

"I'm sorry, Ludwig." Feliciano said, gently laying a hand on shoulder. "They're dead."

Ludwig forced himself to stay on his feet. "_Gott retten uns," _he prayed. "Let's move!" he barked at the troops behind them.

Feliciano trudged beside him. He was panting and his face was a sickly pale green. Ludwig wished he could do something to help his dear friend. Feli had been the only reminder of the family he had left for war_._ The kind young man had been a source of comfort, reassurance, and a support whenever Ludwig felt like collapsing. Now, he could only watch as his friend slowly died from starvation and the horrible life they faced for far too long. Ludwig wished for the old Feli: the one that would shake him awake to see how pretty the moon looked, or play cards with him during the days when the men had nothing to do or had stopped to rest. The world war had changed everyone, including those he wished it hadn't.

"You are too awesome to go to war!" he remembered his brother telling him. "Please, _Bruder, _it vould be so unawesome of you to die."

Ludwig had shrugged. "I don't have much of a choice."

Gilbert had blinked and looked Ludwig straight in the eyes. "If you die, Ludwig…" he sniffed. "Well, first off, I'll be stuck with Specs for the rest of my life and _Hölle _knows I don't want that."

Ludwig had hugged his brother. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Ludwig, you're going off to damn war!" there were tears streaming down Gilbert's face now. "_Bruder, bitte gehen nicht! Lassen Sie mich nicht!"_

"_Es tut mir leid."_

Ludwig was shaken from his memory when gunshots pierced his ears. He spun around in surprise. "_Nehmen Abdeckung_!" he ordered, and his soldiers hit the ground, armed and ready to fire. The command was German, however, the Italian soldiers understood it well enough. He heard cries of astonishment and fear from his men at the sudden announcement.

"They've found us!" Feliciano exclaimed. There was no hiding the fear in his voice. "We're going to die, aren't we, Ludwig?" he felt Feli's trembling body beside his. "I'm never going to see my big brother or hear my nation sing again… I'll never paint or eat pasta or see the people walk the streets of my city…" a tear dripped down his cheek.

Ludwig put his arm around the terrified young man. "Death isn't the end, Feliciano," he said. "Ve all live on. Ve are carried by memories of those that still walk the planet. You are a hero, Feli." He took the Iron Cross, the highest award of combat bravery given to a German troop, from around his neck and put it instead on Feliciano's. Feli touched it, his face pale and wet.

The Canadian troops were approaching, their shouts defiant. They seemed to be singing a single song- one voice carried through the wind. These soldiers knew they would not be defeated. Ludwig spotted Matthew Williams at the front of the line. He had known before the world war began. Matthew seemed to be carrying the entire group and was not at all afraid. This man was not the shy and quiet Canadian he had known. This was a battle-ready soldier. The Canadians had spent so much time planning and plodding along and finally they could put their plans into action.

Ludwig closed his eyes and prayed for his _B__ruder _and country. Before he knew it, he was whispering the words of a song Gilbert had taught him. It was _Deutschlandlied, _sort of like a national anthem for the old Germany before the evil Nazis had taken over and brought German citizens to their knees. It brought a whole new feeling to him- a feeling of responsibility and sadness. The nostalgia of it all was overwhelming, so Ludwig turned to look at Feli. His face was a mess of fear and acceptance. Feliciano was clearly shell-shocked and devastated at their defeat. His eyes carried so much pain and loss.

The two knelt behind barbed wire and fired shots at the advancing enemy, but nothing seemed to slow them down. It was no use. The Canadians had been planning this invasion for too long. As he watched, he noticed British uniforms mixed into the Canadian soldiers. _They have reinforcements. _Ludwig felt his heart beat fast. There was no way his men could win this fight. They would get shot down if they were to flee, but charging into combat would be instant suicide.

"What should we do? We could take some out if we advanced, but in the end, we would be slaughtered." Feliciano asked, his voice quavering as he voiced Ludwig's thoughts.

Ludwig couldn't make this decision. He could either kill off his troops quickly, or give them a few more hours of agonizing torment. His heart cracked in two. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, pulling his Italian friend into a tight embrace.

"They'll remember us, Ludwig," Feli said. "They will." He was crying now, tears of sadness sliding easily down his cheeks.

Ludwig nodded. "Thank you." he said. "Thank you for everything."

Feliciano gave him one last smile, one last bit of hope. It was quickly extinguished by the thought of what Ludwig's next decision would lead to.

"Advance!" Ludwig roared. He put on one last surge of energy and charged at the attacking Canadians. Feliciano followed, never a foot away. The echoing of gunshots and cries of pain and fury was drowned out by a single rhythm in his head. _Deutschland, Deutschland, über alles,_ _über alles in der Welt,_ it sang, and carried Ludwig for one last stand beside his dear Feliciano. He knew in his heart that he would never had chosen a different way to die. He hoped that his death would spark _something_. Maybe the Allies would win the war and Germany would go back to the way it used to be.

One last stand.

_Über alles in der Welt._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Translations for Prologue (all German)<br>_**_Gott retten uns- _God save us  
><em>Bruder- <em>brother  
><em>Hölle- <em>Hell  
><em>Bruder, bitte gehen nicht! Lassen Sie mich nicht!- <em>Brother, please don't go! Don't let me lose you!  
><em>Es tut mir leid- <em>I'm sorry  
><em>Nehmen Abdeckung- <em>take cover  
><em>Deutschlandlied- <em>Germany's song (German word for Germany's national anthem)  
><em>Deutschland, Deutschland, <em>_über alles,_ _über alles in der Welt- _Germany, Germany, over all, over all in the world 


	2. Necklaces and Nostalgia

_This chapter is in the POV of our favorite Prussian..._

_-I DO NOT OWN HETALIA-_

~_Gilbert wishes that memories could be banished forever. Unluckily for him, they can't. Two unexpected guests pay a visit and Gilbert may just die from embarrassment~_

_**Chapter Two**_

Gilbert woke to the sound of birds chirping… Or maybe just one bird: a particular little yellow canary that sat in a thin-wired cage on Gilbert's mahogany desk.

Shaken from a dream, Gilbert's head was fuzzy as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. _Ludwig should be up already… _Gilbert thought, looking at the time on his watch.

"Heh," Gilbert said, sitting up in his bed. "You need to stop waking me up before _zehn."_

Gilbert kicked the sheets off and strode across to where his little pet sat, surveying his room. The walls were covered in old photographs. Many were of him, many were of old family and friends, but a good half of them were of Ludwig. There was Ludwig after he had fallen into the pond, there was Ludwig holding the wooden train set he had gotten for his fifth birthday, there was Ludwig laughing as he was held on Elizaveta's lap… _Elizave_ta.

"Stop!" he scolded himself out loud. "You know she's with Specs…"

Shaking his head, Gilbert sat down at his desk with a huff. Papers were carelessly scattered across it like the pieces of his life that were just as hard to organize. A framed photograph rested on the edge of his desk. There was a laughing woman with long brown hair holding the hand of a dark-haired man with glasses and a mole near the corner of his lip. Next to the couple was a young boy with tousled blond hair being held by an albino man with a huge grin, like he had been laughing along with the others. Gilbert stared at the photo and remembered when times were simpler.

Gilbert let his head fall against his desk with a soft thud. _I won't let it happen… _"Pull yourself together, _dummkopf!" _he growled. "_Mein Gott."_

His canary chirped impatiently. "Hey, little guy." Gilbert said. He fondly called the bird Gilbird, after himself, of course, since he was awesome.

The chime of a bell met his ears and he jolted up. "Ludwig!" he called, exasperated. "What're you doing so early in the morning?"

Ludwig's blond head popped through Gilbert's doorway. "It wasn't me, _Bruder," _he defended himself. "The doorbell rang. And it's ten, Gilbert, that's barely 'early in the morning'."

"Whatever." Gilbert rolled his eyes. "If it's Specs tell him to go away."

Ludwig ran to answer the door, his feet pounding on the hardwood floor. Gilbert pulled himself to his feet with a slight groan and followed his brother down the narrow hallway to the stairs leading to the first floor of their small home. There wasn't much in the small home the two siblings shared. Downstairs consisted of a small kitchen and an entry hall with little more than a welcome mat and a calendar hung on the wall. Gilbert loved his home, though. As long as he was with Ludwig Gilbert knew he'd be happy.

Ludwig ran to open the door but Gilbert blocked his way.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig exclaimed. "Move!"

"Let me get it," Gilbert said. He had a strange feeling in his gut.

"_Was auch immer," _Ludwig said, taking a step back.

Gilbert unlocked the front door and swung it open as he realized he was still in his pajamas. "Shoot," he muttered, looking down at his pants.

"Forgot something, Gilbert?"

Gilbert's head shot up. "Um," he said.

Elizaveta stood in the doorway with a smirk on her face. The cold morning air didn't seem to affect the heat on his face as he stared back at his old friend. Today she was wearing a green dress with a brown jacket and shoes that were splattered with mud. One piece of her tidy hair stubbornly hung over her face.

"Er, come in!" he said, stepping back and allowing the visitor to enter his house… Wait, no. Visitor_s._

"You brought _him," _Gilbert groaned. "Come on, Eliza."

The one and only Roderich Edelstein stood in the doorway of Gilbert's house. He looked pale and tall as always, the only difference since Gilbert last saw him was the fact that he didn't have his viola with him.

"Hello to you, too." Roderich mumbled, stepping inside. "I'm glad you're doing well."

Gilbert laughed. "Come off it, Specs," he said. "I hope you're well yourself." And he really meant it. Even though Roderich and him had an old rivalry that could be traced back to the time the two spent as children, Gilbert was somewhat fond of the aristocratic musician in an annoyingly enduring way.

"Eliza!" Ludwig ran up to the young woman and hugged her.

"_Helló, _Ludwig," she said, hugging the little boy back. "It's been so long!"

"It's only been a week, Miss Eliza." Ludwig said.

"Exactly! It's been forever." Elizaveta smiled. "And there's no need to call me Miss."

"Okay, Miss Eliza," Ludwig said.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "_Gott, _Ludwig."

Elizaveta laughed. It was a high, happy tinkling noise. Gilbert loved it. "Did you go through the boxes?"

Gilbert's face went red as he remembered the necklace Ludwig had found. He had given it to Elizaveta six years ago on Valentine's Day. She had taken it, giving him a smile and a hug and no more. Later would he find out that Roderich had given her roses and gotten her heart in return.

"_Ja," _Ludwig nodded. "I found a lot of pictures and some old shoes. Oh! And-"

"Let's go sit down!" Gilbert grabbed both Elizaveta's and Roderich's arms and dragged them into the kitchen.

"Gilbert-" Ludwig said.

"_Halt die Schnauze, bitte!"_

Elizaveta, who didn't understand much German, was still smiling. Roderich, however, gave Gilbert a funny look. Gilbert gritted his teeth. He didn't want any more talk about the necklace.

"I'll be right back," Ludwig said. "I want to get something from my room."

Gilbert, assuming the boy wanted to show Eliza and Roderich the pretty necklace he found, jumped away from the couple and grabbed Ludwig's hand.

"Gilbert-"

"_Ich erklärte Ihnen, die Halskette weg von mir zu halten!" _Gilbert hissed through clenched teeth.

"I wasn't going to get the necklace!" Ludwig worked his hand out of Gilbert's grip. "_Gott, _I was just getting a picture I wanted to ask Roderich about."

"Sorry." Gilbert awkwardly stepped back as his brother dashed up the stairs.

"What necklace?" Roderich asked.

_Shut up! _"It's nothing." Gilbert said, regaining his composure. "Mind your own business, Specs."

He couldn't help smirking as he noticed Roderich rolling his eyes, a steady blush spreading across his cheeks. _Still outmatched by the awesome me!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Translations for Chapter Two (If not Hungarian, then all German)<br>**__Zehn- _ten  
><em>Dummkopf- <em>idiot  
><em>Mein Gott- <em>my God  
><em>Bruder- <em>brother  
><em>Was auch immer- <em>whatever  
><em>Helló- <em>hello (Hungarian)  
><em>Ja- <em>yes  
><em>Halt die Schnauze, bitte- <em>please shut up  
><em>Ich erklärte Ihnen, die Halskette weg von mir zu halten- <em>I told you to keep the necklace away from me


	3. When Gilbert Answers the Door

_This chapter is in the POV of our favorite Prussian..._

_-I DO NOT OWN HETALIA-_

~_Gilbert wishes that memories could be banished forever. Unluckily for him, they can't. Two unexpected guests pay a visit and Gilbert may just die from embarrassment~_

_**Chapter Two**_

Gilbert woke to the sound of birds chirping… Or maybe just one bird: a particular little yellow canary that sat in a thin-wired cage on Gilbert's mahogany desk.

Shaken from a dream, Gilbert's head was fuzzy as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. _Ludwig should be up already… _Gilbert thought, looking at the time on his watch.

"Heh," Gilbert said, sitting up in his bed. "You need to stop waking me up before _zehn."_

Gilbert kicked the sheets off and strode across to where his little pet sat, surveying his room. The walls were covered in old photographs. Many were of him, many were of old family and friends, but a good half of them were of Ludwig. There was Ludwig after he had fallen into the pond, there was Ludwig holding the wooden train set he had gotten for his fifth birthday, there was Ludwig laughing as he was held on Elizaveta's lap… _Elizave_ta.

"Stop!" he scolded himself out loud. "You know she's with Specs…"

Shaking his head, Gilbert sat down at his desk with a huff. Papers were carelessly scattered across it like the pieces of his life that were just as hard to organize. A framed photograph rested on the edge of his desk. There was a laughing woman with long brown hair holding the hand of a dark-haired man with glasses and a mole near the corner of his lip. Next to the couple was a young boy with tousled blond hair being held by an albino man with a huge grin, like he had been laughing along with the others. Gilbert stared at the photo and remembered when times were simpler.

Gilbert let his head fall against his desk with a soft thud. _I won't let it happen… _"Pull yourself together, _dummkopf!" _he growled. "_Mein Gott."_

His canary chirped impatiently. "Hey, little guy." Gilbert said. He fondly called the bird Gilbird, after himself, of course, since he was awesome.

The chime of a bell met his ears and he jolted up. "Ludwig!" he called, exasperated. "What're you doing so early in the morning?"

Ludwig's blond head popped through Gilbert's doorway. "It wasn't me, _Bruder," _he defended himself. "The doorbell rang. And it's ten, Gilbert, that's barely 'early in the morning'."

"Whatever." Gilbert rolled his eyes. "If it's Specs tell him to go away."

Ludwig ran to answer the door, his feet pounding on the hardwood floor. Gilbert pulled himself to his feet with a slight groan and followed his brother down the narrow hallway to the stairs leading to the first floor of their small home. There wasn't much in the small home the two siblings shared. Downstairs consisted of a small kitchen and an entry hall with little more than a welcome mat and a calendar hung on the wall. Gilbert loved his home, though. As long as he was with Ludwig Gilbert knew he'd be happy.

Ludwig ran to open the door but Gilbert blocked his way.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig exclaimed. "Move!"

"Let me get it," Gilbert said. He had a strange feeling in his gut.

"_Was auch immer," _Ludwig said, taking a step back.

Gilbert unlocked the front door and swung it open as he realized he was still in his pajamas. "Shoot," he muttered, looking down at his pants.

"Forgot something, Gilbert?"

Gilbert's head shot up. "Um," he said.

Elizaveta stood in the doorway with a smirk on her face. The cold morning air didn't seem to affect the heat on his face as he stared back at his old friend. Today she was wearing a green dress with a brown jacket and shoes that were splattered with mud. One piece of her tidy hair stubbornly hung over her face.

"Er, come in!" he said, stepping back and allowing the visitor to enter his house… Wait, no. Visitor_s._

"You brought _him," _Gilbert groaned. "Come on, Eliza."

The one and only Roderich Edelstein stood in the doorway of Gilbert's house. He looked pale and tall as always, the only difference since Gilbert last saw him was the fact that he didn't have his viola with him.

"Hello to you, too." Roderich mumbled, stepping inside. "I'm glad you're doing well."

Gilbert laughed. "Come off it, Specs," he said. "I hope you're well yourself." And he really meant it. Even though Roderich and him had an old rivalry that could be traced back to the time the two spent as children, Gilbert was somewhat fond of the aristocratic musician in an annoyingly enduring way.

"Eliza!" Ludwig ran up to the young woman and hugged her.

"_Helló, _Ludwig," she said, hugging the little boy back. "It's been so long!"

"It's only been a week, Miss Eliza." Ludwig said.

"Exactly! It's been forever." Elizaveta smiled. "And there's no need to call me Miss."

"Okay, Miss Eliza," Ludwig said.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "_Gott, _Ludwig."

Elizaveta laughed. It was a high, happy tinkling noise. Gilbert loved it. "Did you go through the boxes?"

Gilbert's face went red as he remembered the necklace Ludwig had found. He had given it to Elizaveta six years ago on Valentine's Day. She had taken it, giving him a smile and a hug and no more. Later would he find out that Roderich had given her roses and gotten her heart in return.

"_Ja," _Ludwig nodded. "I found a lot of pictures and some old shoes. Oh! And-"

"Let's go sit down!" Gilbert grabbed both Elizaveta's and Roderich's arms and dragged them into the kitchen.

"Gilbert-" Ludwig said.

"_Halt die Schnauze, bitte!"_

Elizaveta, who didn't understand much German, was still smiling. Roderich, however, gave Gilbert a funny look. Gilbert gritted his teeth. He didn't want any more talk about the necklace.

"I'll be right back," Ludwig said. "I want to get something from my room."

Gilbert, assuming the boy wanted to show Eliza and Roderich the pretty necklace he found, jumped away from the couple and grabbed Ludwig's hand.

"Gilbert-"

"_Ich erklärte Ihnen, die Halskette weg von mir zu halten!" _Gilbert hissed through clenched teeth.

"I wasn't going to get the necklace!" Ludwig worked his hand out of Gilbert's grip. "_Gott, _I was just getting a picture I wanted to ask Roderich about."

"Sorry." Gilbert awkwardly stepped back as his brother dashed up the stairs.

"What necklace?" Roderich asked.

_Shut up! _"It's nothing." Gilbert said, regaining his composure. "Mind your own business, Specs."

He couldn't help smirking as he noticed Roderich rolling his eyes, a steady blush spreading across his cheeks. _Still outmatched by the awesome me!_

_**Translations for Chapter Two (If not Hungarian, then all German)**_

_Zehn- _ten

_Dummkopf- _idiot

_Mein Gott- _my God

_Bruder- _brother

_Was auch immer- _whatever

_Helló- _hello (Hungarian)

_Ja- _yes

_Halt die Schnauze, bitte- _please shut up

_Ich erklärte Ihnen, die Halskette weg von mir zu halten- _I told you to keep the necklace away from me


	4. Letters to Grandpa

_Hello! To all who celebrate it, I hope you all had a merry Christmas! I'm sorry I didn't have a chapter out sooner. I've been dealing with personal stuff that's been slowly eating away at what's left of my sanity and I've just been like _screw this imma ignore my stories :I _so yeah. Sorry about that :/ Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter three! I finally wrote an Italy part :D_

_-HiD_

**Chapter Three **_~Maybe if he kept writing letters, Roma would come back~_

Feliciano was a strange child.

He was a sweet child, of course, a very sweet child. He could make anyone smile no matter the occasion and always knew how to do so. In fact, he wasn't the kind of boy you would expect to be happy and carefree. See, Feliciano's grandfather went missing when he and his brother were young boys, Feliciano no more than a toddler. The boys had lived with their grandfather ever since their mother died giving birth to Feliciano, long after their father left. Nobody knew where Roma Vargas had gone. Nobody knew why he would leave his two dear grandsons behind. All anybody knew was that Roma left voluntarily and without a trace.

After the disappearance of Roma, the Vargas brothers, Feliciano and Lovino, were shoved into the foster care system. They bounced from family to family all across Italy but never stayed in one household for more than a couple months. After a year or so without an official guardian, Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo, the Vargas' cousin, laid a claim on the two boys. Feliciano and Lovino were then sent to live in their cousin's house in Spain. Feliciano liked Antonio, that was for sure, but he missed his grandpa dearly and had in his head that the man would come back for Feliciano and take him back to their little home in Italy.

After all of this drama and stress, little Feliciano was still about as happy as a child could get. He loved spending time with Lovino and Antonio. He adored it when Toni would make him pasta and enjoyed helping his cousin out in the vast gardens of Antonio's home. Nothing, however, could stop Feliciano Vargas from longing for the return of his beloved grandfather.

An odd way for Feliciano to shake the sadness and grief off of his shoulders was to write letters to his absent grandfather. He would take parchment from Antonio's study and use his colored pencils to write Roma a letter describing recent events in his life. Neither Lovino nor Antonio dared question the little boy's strange actions in case they might hurt his feelings by doing so.

If you were to walk through the muddy pathways of Antonio's gardens you would come across a gate. If you were to open that rickety gate you would find a cobblestone path sloping upwards. That path would lead you to the top of a hill covered in the soft lush of grass and greenery. That hill overlooked a forest of juniper and fir. A creek rambled between the two as if it marked a boundary, and quite frankly, it did. The edge of the forest was where Antonio's property ended. Not too far away from that creek or the certain hill sat a young boy with copper hair that shone in the afternoon sunlight.

So, there Feliciano was, sitting amidst the green stems of grass and cool spring air. He was holding a pad of paper in one hand and a red pencil in another. A blissful smile graced his face as he brought the pencil down to the blank parchment.

"What are you doing this time, _idiota_?"

The little boy looked up from where he sat on the soft grass. His brother, Lovino, stood next to him, an irritated look on his face. "Ve," A soft breeze tickled his face and a sigh escaped his lips. "I'm writing a letter to Grandpa."

The soft light of the sun shone down on the two brothers. It was quite a lovely spring day and the younger of the two saw it fitting to sit outside writing letters and to finish his chores later. Antonio, his cousin, of course, didn't mind if he skipped chores. Antonio was very carefree and forgiving in the first place and he also understood that Feliciano needed undisturbed alone time to remember his grandfather.

"Oh." Lovino sat down beside his brother. "Antonio says that lunch is made. You can come whenever you're ready, of course. We'll be waiting." he managed to say this with only a small amount of sarcasm.

"Okay," Feliciano said. "I'll be finished soon."

As the two brothers gazed off into the distance, Lovino took the oppurtunity to glance down at Feliciano's paper. It was blank. Nothing ha dbeen written on it yet. "Why haven't you written your damn letter already?"

Feliciano shrugged. "I don't know what to write yet, ve."

Lovino huffed. "Well get on with it."

As he stood up to leave, Feliciano spoke up. "Aren't we lucky to have Toni to look after us?"

Lovino turned an interesting shade of pink. He muttered something inaudible before informing his younger brother that he could do without the tomato jerk.

"Come on, _fratello," _Feliciano said. "Be a little nicer. Toni is very kind to us."

"He's a big sap," Lovino grumbled. "Always up in my face. And he's too cheerful."

"He's a big sap because Antonio just likes you!" Feliciano said. "You should be nicer to your cousin, ve."

"Who are you to tell me what to do…" Lovino muttered. "I'm going inside, dammit."

"Bye, _fratello!" _Feliciano said, oblivious to his brother's bad nature.

"Hurry up!" Was the only response to Feliciano's farewell.

As Lovino widened the distance between him and his brother, Feliciano took Lovino's words seriously and started to write his letter. "Dear grandpa," he said, saying the words out loud as he wrote them on the paper. "It's a nice day today. I wish you could see it." he paused. "Maybe you can. I don't know. Maybe it's a nice day wherever you are." Felciano started a new paragraph. "I hope you're doing well. I am. So is Lovino. He's a little cranky, but that's normal for him. Antonio is doing well, too. Lovino actually kind of likes Toni. He doesn't admit it, though, but we all know."

The breeze picked up as if it were taking a breath with Feliciano. The little boy breathed in the scent of pollen and the cool, crisp air. Feliciano could hear birds chirping in the distance as if they were having their own little conversation. "Today Antonio promised me that he would make Lovino and I pasta for dinner!" he said as he added that sentence onto the letter. "I'm happy I have a cousin like Antonio to take care of me since you can't." Feliciano felt a wave of sadness wash over him. "I hope you'll come back." he added. "I miss you. So does Lovino." Feliciano smiled wistfully as he thought about the prospect of Roma returning to him.

Feliciano took the letter in one hand and reread it. His eyes scanned the words expertly. Despite being quite young, Feliciano was a skilled reader and writer and knew the basics of reading and writing in English and Italian. Taking his pencil, Feliciano signed his name at the bottom of the paper like Roma taught him to: _Il vostro nipote, Feliciano. _

"Perfect," Feliciano said. He folded the letter up into a small square and tucked it into his pocket. He stood up and skipped across the grassy hill towards the edge of the forest that marked the edge of Antonio's property. He laughed as the grassy stems tickled his bare feet. As he neared the stream, Feliciano pulled out the folded letter from his pants pocket. He sat down beside the creek and listened to the peaceful gurgles of the flowing water before taking the letter and crimping it into the shape of a boat. "I'll make a sailboat for you, grandfather." he whispered.

When Feliciano was no more than a toddler, Roma would take him down to the little pond near their house and teach him how to make paper sailboats. They spent hours by that pond; Feliciano remembered it so well. The memories of evenings spent by the pond were embedded in his mind like all the other remnants of precious times spent with his missing grandfather.

"Watch," Roma had said all those years ago. He had expertly folded the paper until it resembled a tiny boat. "Now, you drop it in the water." he had done this, the paper boat making a tiny splash in the still water. It tottered a bit, but began to meander around the pond.

"Ve, grandpa, but what if we lose the boat?" Feliciano had exclaimed. "What if the boat never comes back?"

Roma had chuckled. "_Non si preoccupa, _Feliciano. The sailboat will return to its harbor. Just let it wander."

Feliciano shook himself back into reality and cast the memory aside. He carefully set the paper boat onto the rippling brook. It teetered across the water; slow but steady. He watched with minimal excitement as his letter was carried away with the minimal current. A melancholy feeling overcame him. "I miss you, grandpa," Feliciano whispered. "Please come back.

Feliciano knew as long as he was missing Roma he would be missing a part of him. He hadn't truly lost that part of him yet, though. It was withering away, slowly yet surely, oh so slowly. Sometimes Feliciano wanted that bit of his heart to fall right off and sometimes he'd rather it stay on. One thing was for sure, though: Feliciano was bound to forget soon. Not to forget about Roma, oh no, but still forget. He would forget how it felt to have Roma's arms wrapped around him. He would forget Roma's smile and how his copper-and-amber eyes sparkled like diamonds when they looked at him. Feliciano didn't ever want to forget but he knew that one day his memories of Roma would fade and disappear. They would sail away like the paper sailboats they had made, but this time, the sailboat would never return to its harbor.

_**Translations for Chapter Three (all Italian)**_

_Idiota- _idiot

_Fratello- _brother

_Il vostro nipote- _your grandson

_Non si preoccupa- _don't worry

_Yeah, heavy stuff. This really struck home for me since I've been dealing with angst/grief and it was nice to vent while writing this. On a different note, is it weird that I've been stalking the traffic graph for this story and cheering every time I see views from a country I like? xD I woke up at one am, I must be crazy. Anyway, thanks to all those folks who actually made it this far :3 please leave a review or follow/favorite if you like how this is turning out so far!  
><em>

_-HiD_


	5. The Shift

I DO NOT OWN HETALIA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED

**Chapter Four **_~Elizaveta and Roderich have some news for a very unsuspecting Gilbert~_

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><p>Ludwig liked Elizaveta and Roderich a lot. The two were like his aunt and uncle, of sorts, since they were always there for Ludwig to give him advice and various candies as well. He also loved them like one might love an aunt or uncle. They would never take Gilbert's place, of course, but the were very close to him and had a special spot in his heart. Ludwig could not remember a weekend when Roderich and Elizaveta hadn't visited their little home. Ever since the two had gotten engaged and moved to Salzburg they had made it routine to visit Gilbert and Ludwig.<p>

Roderich Edelstein was dignified and proud of it. Having grown up in a rich and plentiful household, he knew his manners and he knew them well. Everyday he dressed his finest and combed his hair ever so slightly (except for that stubborn curl that always stood up; he couldn't control that). In addition, the sophisticated Austrian had a passion for music. He played pretty much every string instrument (viola was his favorite because it was so deep and melodic) but was infatuated with the piano. Roderich played piano in concerts all over Europe and made good money off of it. Despite him seeming very arrogant and proper (which he was), Roderich was a very charming man once you got to know him. It had not been hard for Elizaveta to fall for him.

Elizaveta Héderváry was a very free-spirited woman. At first glance she seems very quaint and ordinary but once you get to know her you'll see that she is quite the opposite. Elizaveta grew up in a middle-class family in Budapest, Hungary. She learned the importance of standing up for herself and being an independent woman before she knew she _was _a woman. As a child, Elizaveta was very tomboyish and went as far as to dress as a boy. Her mother began forcing her into dresses when she sent her off to a boarding school in Vienna. There, she met Gilbert Beilschmidt and later Roderich Edelstein.

Almost instantly, Elizaveta and Gilbert became best friends (in a sense). They hardly knew anyone else at the academy and barely knew what they themselves were doing with their lives, so they befriended each other quite quickly and easily. Elizaveta may have had romantic feelings for Gilbert at that point, but they were brief and short-lived. Those feelings were shot down fast the day she met Roderich in the music room. The two became close friends within a matter of days and soon Elizaveta was certain that Roderich was the only person out there for her. Roderich, of course, did not get along with Gilbert. However, the two were still close friends no matter however many times they had bickered and fought (mostly over Elizaveta, but they don't like to admit that).

When Roderich had proposed to Elizaveta, she had been over the moon, of course. Gilbert, however, was not. He had never quite gotten over the fact that Elizaveta did not love him like she loved Roderich. He had agreed to be Roderich's best man, of course, how could he refuse his best friend? For the rest of their marriage, Gilbert had hidden his jealousy. He had hidden his feelings for so long, it almost hurt to see his best friends. The tension between the three, however, was very high that day. Abnormally high.

After the four finally settled down, Ludwig began noticing the small details.

First off, Gilbert seemed to be very uncomfortable and awkward around Eliza and her husband. He kept glancing up at Elizaveta and then looking back down at his hands. He was fidgeting and looked uncharacteristically nervous around the two guests. There was something weird going on between Roderich and Elizaveta as well. Elizaveta kept stealing glances at him. If the musician met her eyes, the two would have some sort of mental conversation and look away as if nothing had happened. Also, Ludwig noticed an overall tension between the three people. He wondered what could possibly be behind all of this.

"So, Specs," Gilbert said. "How's your travel piano going?"

"It's going quite well, actually," Roderich said, straightening up at the mention of his talent. "I have an upcoming concert in Vienna where I am scheduled to play the viola."

"Hmm." Gilbert yawned. "Sounds boring. What about you, Eliza, up to anything?"

The woman shrugged. "Not much. I've been working on a couple embroidery projects. Roderich and I have started a garden."

Gilbert nodded. "Hmm. Want something to drink?"

Elizaveta shook her head. "I'm okay, Gilbert, thanks. Roderich? Anything?"

"Tea, if you have some, Gilbert, would be pleasant." The Austrian said. His glasses flashed as he positioned himself in his wooden chair. Ludwig wondered if his back hurt from sitting so straight all the time.

"Sorry, Specs, all out," Gilbert chuckled, crossing his legs and leaning back. "I haven't had time to buy more since you finished it off last time you visited."

Roderich shrugged and shifted a bit on his seat. "Fine."

Ludwig wasn't sure if he could partake in the conversation without sounding immature or irrelevant. What could he say? He wanted to talk with the adults, of course, but he didn't know _how. _

"How have you been, Ludwig?" Roderich asked him.

_Finally. _"I've been well, thanks." Ludwig said obediently.

"Your brother is very polite," Roderich observed, pointedly looking at Gilbert.

The albino raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?"

"Ludwig is quite the gentleman despite being raised by somebody like you," Roderich smirked.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "We can't all be prissy little aristocats, can we, Roddy?" he clicked his tongue. "And what do you mean, 'somebody like me?'"

Roderich narrowed his eyes. "_What I meant, _Gilbert, was that it's surprising that Ludwig is so polite and proper while you can stand next to him and be an ignorant hooligan."

Gilbert let out a bark of laughter. "Is that what I am, Specs? A hooligan? I like it. At least you stopped calling me a moron. I was getting tired of that."

Roderich let out a sigh.

Ludwig decided to change the direction this conversation was going in. "Have you been doing well, Eliza?"

Elizaveta laughed. "Oh, I've been doing fine." She shifted her gaze to the young blond boy. "I'm happy that you are, too."

Gilbert turned his attention to Elizaveta. "So, anything else going on?"

Elizaveta stuttered for a moment before looking at Roderich for a second. He nodded once after a moment of contemplation. "Well…" she hesitated. "I… We, actually, have something to tell you."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "What is it, Miss Priss?"

Elizaveta clenched her teeth. "That is _not _my name, Gilbert."

"I noticed."

Ludwig thought it would be a good time to interrupt. Maybe he could break up the impending fistfight between his brother and Miss Eliza. "What is it you want to tell us, Miss Eliza?"

Elizaveta's face softened as she looked down at him. "Oh! Yes, well…" she glanced at Roderich who put his hand over hers.

Ludwig's saw Gilbert's face before he registered what Elizaveta said next. His usually-confident brother's expression went from smug to rock bottom. The smirk Gilbert wore shifted into a mask of shock, distorting into something that Ludwig couldn't quite interpret.

"Well, Roderich and I have decided to adopt a child."

Ludwig felt a surge of happiness growing inside was Gilbert upset? "That's great!" he ran up to hug Eliza. "When're you it bringing it home?"

"Him," Roderich said. A faint smile was on his face. "We don't know yet, but we've filled out the papers and everything."

"_Wunderbar!" _Ludwig smiled at the man from over Eliza's shoulder, who smiled back. Even the usually expressionless Austrian perked up at the mention of the exciting news.

"Gilbert?" Elizaveta's voice wavered.

Ludwig turned his head to see his brother once again. His smile was fake, he could tell. "Um, yes?"

"A-are you okay?" Elizaveta looked confused when she spotted Gilbert's expression.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Perfect. _Wunderbar." _Gilbert said, but his face certainly didn't match his words. "Congratulations. And everything."

"Gil, you're upset," Elizaveta said. Her emerald eyes were round with concern. Ludwig could feel the hand she had on his back shaking.

"I said I was fine!" Gilbert growled. "I have to go. I have to… Feed Gilbird." he stood up and left Eliza wordlessly staring at him.

"What did I say?" she said, releasing Ludwig from her arms. "Why is he-"

Roderich pursed his lips and squeezed her hand. "You don't know?"

"What? Don't know what?" Elizaveta's tone grew hard.

"Veta, it is quite obvious that Gilbert is fond of you." Roderich said, his voice exasperated and low. "Ever since we were little."

"He _is?" _Elizaveta's eyes went wide.

"_Ja, _I'm afraid he is," Roderich grinned slightly. "But really, you didn't know? It was quite obvious, dear."

"Really?" Elizaveta was still in some sort of shock.

"Yes, Veta." Roderich was grinning now.

"I feel terrible!" Elizaveta exclaimed. "D-do you think I should go talk to him, or-"

"He'll get over it." Roderich said, patting his wife's hand. "He's had to for twenty years or so."

"But-"

"Eliza." Roderich's voice was firm. "This is his problem. Let him get used to the idea of us starting a family and he'll realize that he has all the happiness he'll ever need with Ludwig. Gilbert will need some space, I'm assuming."

Elizaveta was silent for a moment as she stared at her husband. "_Rendben…" _she said. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

Roderich pursed his lips. "Elizaveta," he said. "It was not your intention to hurt him. We've been married for two years. That's enough time for Gilbert to realize that he lost his chance many, many years ago. Gilbert's jealousy and hard feelings are not your fault nor your concern." despite all that the pianist said, Ludwig knew from the expression plastered across his usually subtle face that Roderich felt sorry for his German friend.

Ludwig was very confused at this point. He had heard Gilbert speak fondly of Elizaveta, but only ever as a brother might tell his friends about his sister. "Roderich-"

Roderich gave him a soft smile. "Your brother is a good man." he said. "But Gilbert doesn't know how to let go."

Ludwig blinked once and tried to contemplate the thoughts running through his head. "Oh," was all he could muster.

Elizaveta pulled Ludwig up onto her lap. "And you had no idea, either." she smiled. "That makes two of us."

Ludwig opened his mouth to say something but Roderich stood up before he could utter a word. "We'd better go, Ludwig." he said softly, picking up the little boy. "See you next week."

Ludwig nodded and wrapped his arms around the tall man's neck. "_Auf Wiedersehen." _

Elizaveta took Ludwig from her husbands arms and kissed his cheek. "Bye, _kedves." _She placed him down and stepped out of the kitchen. Roderich followed her out the front door with a quick glance backwards and a small wave at the child in the doorway. Ludwig shut the door before he could see the couple climb into their DKW and drive down the bumpy dirt road leading away from the Beilschmidt property.

It was a good thing that Ludwig had closed the door, that way he couldn't see the tears that slipped down Elizaveta's face when she thought he wasn't looking.

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><p><em><strong>Translations for Chapter Four (All German unless marked otherwise)<strong>_

_Wunderbar- _Wonderful  
><em>Ja- <em>yes  
><em>Rendben- <em>Okay (Hungarian)  
><em>Auf Wiedersehen- <em>Goodbye  
><em>Kedves- <em>Dear (Hungarian)

_I'm sorreeeeeee! I've been busy lately (my excuse for everything) and fanfictions have been pretty much the last thing on my mind. I was going to write more a couple days ago but I couldn't think straight since I was preoccupied and also mad about the Paris tragedy. For all you in France or for those of you affected by this terrible occurrence, my prayers and hopes go out to you. You have my condolences._

_ANYWAY, on a different note, I don't know when I'll update this next. I've been giving most of my time to schoolwork and dance which are my number one priorities. I would love to give you all a new chapter everytime I log onto but I'm afraid it's not all that simple ;) Anyway, thanks for reading!_

_-Impeccably Bizarre (yes, I changed my name)_


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